When the NFL media caught wind of the New England Patriots bringing in Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, two of the highest ranked quarterbacks coming into the 2014 NFL Draft, the rumors of Tom Brady’s replacement. Due to their draft position, nabbing either of the two players brought in for evaluation was seemingly impossible, but in a class that had depth at the position, it wasn’t out of the question that the Patriots would grab a backup quarterback in the first three rounds.
And according to Ian Rapaport of NFL Network, the quarterback they wanted to have was Blake Bortles of UCF.
Unfortunately, New England’s target in Bortles was unavailable by the time the Patriots hit the board as the young quarterback was nabbed by the Jacksonville Jaquars at the number three overall pick. Instead, they nabbed their supposed quarterback of the future in the second round with Jimmy Garropolo of Eastern Illinois, a quarterback whose stock had risen as the draft drew closer and closer.
There’s nothing guaranteed about Garropolo being the Patriots quarterback of the future when Brady retires. No one is completely sure when Brady will decide to hang it up as he’s stated several times that he wants to play into his forties a la Brett Favre. This means Garropolo would be forced to sit some extra years like Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett have been forced to due, eventually being traded as Brady remains a high-level player.
Had the Patriots been able to obtain Bortles, many would be more lenient to confirm that he’ll be the face of the franchise once Brady walks away, but due to Garropolo being a wildcard going forward, it’s hard to know what the future will look like for him and the franchise.